About us
To identify the Y-DNA genetic markers that delineate Bigelow lineages worldwide. Any reasonable spelling variant is included. Please feel free to suggest a variant not listed on the Project Background page.
According to the Bigelow Society, all Bigelows in the US descend from the 17th century immigrant John Biglo of Watertown, MA. If this is true, then over time we should see a matching cluster of Bigelow men whose lineages separated John Biglo's as mutations accumulated in the Y chromosomes of his male Bigelow descendants. If their descent from John Biglo is also well documented, then it is most likely the same Y-DNA as John Biglo brought over from England or some variant of it.
There's a chance we will find that some Bigelows do not match on their Y-chromosome. Such mismatches are due to non-paternity events (NPE), where a male raised as a Bigelow had a biological father who was not a Bigelow. NPEs will help define the subbranches of the US Bigelow family and could assist with those branches' documentary research by narrowing the field of Bigelows to those who share the same NPE.
TESTS TO BE INCLUDED
Y-Chromosome STRs and SNPs for delineating Bigelow lineages by both STR mutations and SNP phylogeny. These will help Bigelows who do not know their documentary history to determine which patrilineal Bigelow family branch they belong to. Documentary information from Y-DNA matches will suggest avenues for subsequent documentary research.
Autosomal DNA may be used for linking cousins, male and female, and identifying Bigelow ancestor autosomal DNA segments, potentially even identifying segments specifically inherited from John Biglo.
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED(1)
Is it true that most North American Bigelows descend from one immigrant, John Biglo of Watertown, MA.
(2)
Can we locate Bigelows in England for testing and connect them with matching families in the US and elsewhere, including adding their family information to the Bigelow Society archives? In the 1881 census of England there were only 12 Bigelows.
(3)
Who are the Bagl(e)y families who settled in Virginia about the same time John Biglo settled in Massachusetts? Are there any living descendants of these Bagl(e)ys? Are they related to John Biglo? If so, did they immigrate with, before or after John Biglo? From House of Names (should tie these to documentary sources):
- James Bagley settled in Virginia in 1639
- Thomas Bagly settled in Virginia in 1641
- Elizabeth Bagley settled in Virginia in 1638
- Philip Bagley settled in Virginia in 1635
Partial Answer: So far one Bagley family matches descendants of John Biglo. His earliest known ancestor from England was Orlando Bagley of Amesbury, Massachusetts, d. abt 1663. Is he connected to the Virginia settlers above?
(4)
Can we find a genetic match between a descendant of John Biglo, the immigrant from Watertown, MA, and a participant of the Massey surname DNA project? According to this account:
Around the time of King John, (1129-1216), the heir of Hamon Massy, another Hamon Massy, gave Mathew Massy of Bromhale: Bromhale, Duckenfield, and two parts of Baggiley. At this time the "Hamon Massy" heirs adopted the name Baggiley, as well. Later to be known as Baguley.
Partial Answer: This Norman Massey family is R1b-L21 like our John Biglo group, but apparently they are in a distant subclade because they don't appear in our participants' matches. There would need to be another as yet undiscovered Bigelow Y-DNA subgroup that shares this Massey subgroup's Y-DNA subclade.
(5)
What are the Y-DNA haplogroup subclades of each Bigelow genetic lineage. The haplogroup is the major migratory branch/path the family's patrilineal forebears took thousands of years ago. The subclade is a more recent branch on the Y-DNA tree diverging from the trunk of the haplogroup.